July 20, 2015

This month I was assigned to Jane's blog, The Heritage Cook. I was in foodie heaven looking through all of her recipes. Seriously, the list was so long and hard to narrow down! Her photos are beautiful, most of her recipes are gluten-free, and her writing style is so welcoming. The potato-loving side of me wanted to make her Fully Loaded Green Chile Potato Skins and her Creamy and Cheesy Potato Casserole. With me being a steak-loving girl, and my blog very much lacking in that area, I was also drawn to her steak recipes like her Grilled Steak Sandwiches with Portobello Mushrooms. It's no secret I am all about the grill during summertime. But ultimately I went her Grilled Steaks with Spicy Hoisin BBQ Sauce. I am obsessed with that Asian hoisin flavor and knew it would be a winner.

And it was! PJ loved the sauce, and he isn't a fan of soy sauce usually. I LOVED it! I'll be making it for sure for grilled chicken, pork, steak of course... pretty much everything! This steaknpotatoeskindagurl says this one's a keeper.*Note: Hoisin sauce can be found in most Asian aisles in the grocery store.

Allow steaks to set at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rub the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Saute sliced onion with 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet until caramelized. Place steaks on a hot grill. Cook steaks for 5-6 minutes per side for medium. Brush with the Ginger Hoisin Sauce during the last few minutes of grilling, reserving additional sauce for dipping. Remove from the grill and let rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes. Serve steaks with the caramelized onions and Ginger Hoisin Sauce for dipping.

June 15, 2015

This month I was assigned to Heather's blog, It's Yummy to My Tummy. I was so tempted to make her Funnel Cakes, because it's summer and all I can think about is festivals and state fairs with funnel cakes. I also want to try her Cilantro Lime Chicken BLAT Sandwich and I plan to soon ... mmm looks like the perfect summer dinner. Also intrigued by her Strawberry Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies... loving the use of strawberry cream cheese in these!But I've been diggin salmon lately and went the healthier route than usual lol. I love lemon and fish but add garlic and that perfect dill flavor, and I'm sold. We didn't grill ours, but instead pan-seared them. Whether you grill, pan-sear, or bake it, it's sure to please. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I officially like salmon. Like, love salmon. Never thought those words would come from a steak n potatoes lovin kinda gurl like me :)Thanks for the delicious recipe, Heather, and confirming my newfound love of salmon!Garlic Lemon Dill Salmonadapted from It's Yummy to My Tummy

four 6-8 ounce salmon fillets (with skin on)

juice from 1/2 of a lemon

3 teaspoon fresh dill

2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

4 tablespoons butter, melted

salt and pepper, for seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

In a bowl, add melted butter, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and seasonings together. Mix well. Brush on the top of the salmon fillets.

Preheat skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter. Place salmon fillets, skin side down, in the skillet. Do not turn the salmon fillets until they are almost done, at least 5 minutes or until they start to look more opaque. The result will be a crispy skin. That last flip of the salmon only lasts for a few seconds, as you want it on long enough just enough to give a nice sear on top.

May 18, 2015

I'm back for another month of The Secret Recipe Club. This month I was assigned to Nayna's vegetarian blog, Simply.Food. She has lots of fun recipes and since I'm a meat eater, it was nice to see new-to-me recipes. What really caught my eye were her Egg Fried Rice, Oreo Cheesecake, and White Lemon Chocolate with Pistachio Nuts. Yum! Ultimately I chose a simple and delicious side perfect for any meal and that screams summer! We loved this salad and decided to add avocado to give it that extra creamy flavor. The lime juice and cilantro really top it off nice. I love the colors, it's perfect for summer, and I know we'll be making it all the time!! Thanks, Nayna. It was a blast perusing your site this month. So many great recipes to choose from, and this one sure didn't disappoint!

April 20, 2015

This month I was assigned to Kara's blog, Happy Go Lucky. So many yummy recipes to choose from, like her Pizza Casserole, Samoas Milkshakes, and Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Spread... can I have them all?!? At once? But man, I couldn't pass up a chance to make these.These remind me of peanut butter crackers.... with chocolate. Mmmm. The chocolate and peanut butter really shown through, along with the crunch of the crackers. And the graham cracker concoction that goes in the middle?! I wish there was more! I think in the future I'm going to try it without the peanut butter, and maybe with some sea salt on top to give it that sweet and salty taste I always love. So many ways you could go with these! You could try with different kinds of crackers... maybe Townhouse (love!). Or use saltines and make something that kinda resembles these guys.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, whether you're a peanut butter, chocolate, caramel, crunchy-crackery-graham crackery-lover, or all of the above, you'll enjoy these treats :)Thanks for the great recipe, Kara! And I'll be back to make that casserole for sure.*Note: we didn't use the whole box of Club crackers, but almost all of it.

I chose her delicious Stacked Tomato Salad because I had some bacon and beautiful lettuce to use up. And, well, BACON. PJ made a song about me (he raps!) and it was the sweetest thing ever, of course he had a line in there about loving me so much he'll put bacon in my casserole :) That's true love right there. Anyway, I digress, I digress.

I decided to add some sweet red onion to set these tomato stacks over the top, and for that extra pop of purple for the photos. I can't lie. The things that go into being a food blogger :) I also did a mix of sour cream and mayo to thicken up the dressing a bit.

These are the perfect light side item, and that homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing really sets it over the top. It looks so fancy, but is so easy. And you know I love that. Who doesn't???BLT Stacks with Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressingadapted from The Painted Apron*Yields: 2 BLT StacksDressing:

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 red onion, sliced

Tomato Stack:

1-2 tomatoes, sliced into 6 slices

2-3 slices bacon, cooked

2 lettuce leaves

2-4 bleu cheese dressing (recipe above)

Season tomato slices with salt and pepper. On each lettuce leaf, stack one slice tomato, 1/2 slice bacon, one slice tomato, 1/2 slice bacon, and top with another slice of tomato (3 slices per stack). You can use a toothpick to secure stacks, if desired. Drizzle stacks with bleu cheese dressing. Top with additional bacon for garnish, if desired.Printable Recipe